2011 Goals

 Loving God and building his Kingdom are the key goals of the life of every Christian. Within that, I believe I am called to prioritise five roles and responsibilities:

Child of God: knowing God and applying his word in my circumstances

This encompasses all of life but specifically includes loving and reading the Bible, praying, reading Christian books, and being an active participant in church life. If I don't have God's grace and help, everything else I aspire to will be impossible! Having a gentle, quiet, joyful heart is a spiritual goal I have had every year for a while now!

It would have been good to make some specific goals in this area, as I have dropped the ball and become discouraged at some points. The reading goals that included Christian books have been helpful.*

Wife: Loving and helping my husband


All I do in our home and garden is with the goal of helping Dave. I aim to prioritise his needs and desires in all areas of life.

I am walking in this goal, but it would have been good to plan more specific ways to honour Him.


Mother: Welcoming, nurturing, training and educating our children.


This priority requires massive amounts of time, thought and energy, and I have underestimated this in my other aspirations. If I am going to do this joyfully on a continuing basis, I need to have fewer competing and conflicting tasks and goals.


Homemaker: Creating and maintaining a home that exhibits God's character through hospitality, beauty, order, joy and productivity. 

Generally I am walking in this priority, but have lost focus and joy at times. Need goals for next year that help me remain focused. Maybe a more detailed home making mission statement!

Ambassador for Christ: Extending love through our home and family to encourage others and share who God is.

I see my involvement in church, visiting, hospitality, writing cards and emails, and blogging as part of this.

I feel that I have invested too much time in outward focused ministry, particularly pro-life, to the detriment of my peace in running the home and caring for the children. It is hard because I desperately want to be focused on the eternal and on those in need, and not just on our own family. I am seeking God for a balance, and for how to focus almost exclusively on outward-looking things that can be done with the children.

My specific goals for 2011 relate to areas where I want to grow, or special things that I would love to do but will not do unless they are planned into our lives.

Maybe all goals should be related more directly to the primary roles that I fill? 

Zulu

Goal:  Complete Learn Zulu Today in order to be confident in basic Zulu for when we visit South Africa, and have a basis for further learning if needed in future. Learning Zulu is part of my efforts to help Dave, educate the children, and be an ambassador for Christ in the way we relate to other people groups.

I will not complete the book this year! If I am ever going to complete it, I will need to devote heaps of time to thoroughly learning every word in each chapter before going onto the next. 

Strategies:

• During Elnathan's room time, set the timer to devote the first 15 minutes to Zulu.

Became impossible due to Mercy's erratic sleep patterns and demands on my time. 

• At least once a week, devote 15 minutes to reviewing Zulu words with Dave and attempting to put them into sentences. 

Trying to do this in the evenings didn't work as Dave was tired. Maybe aim for a weekend if we continue with it next year?

• Try a Zulu sentence at each meal with Dave.

Usually do at breakfast, but not at every meal.

• Continue to learn new words to say to Elnathan, for objects that interest him and are frequent topics of conversation.

We continue to talk about Zulu a lot and he shows an interest.

• Translate all Zulu story books into English

This was harder than I thought and shows up my lack of knowledge! This goal is incomplete. 

• Find some resources to listen to Zulu as it is normally spoken or sung (radio station? CD?)

Yay! I have found some, but have only used them a little so far.

Homemaking and health

• Learn to make great savoury pies regularly (at least once a month, preferably fortnightly)

Still a way to go on this one! Progress has been made, but I have not met this goal. Progress: making a few chicken pies, mixed vegetable pies.

• Complete a small cross stitch as a gift

Yay! It is waiting at the framer's to pick up. 

• Complete two patchwork table runners from the same pattern (one for our table, one as a gift)

Overly ambitions, and not attempted! 

• Learn to make dresses for our little girl

Progress: one dress has been cut out and is waiting to be sewn up. 

• Finish fixing the elastic in our Bumgenius nappies
• Organise a really reliable cleaner to come fortnightly!! 

Michelle has been pretty reliable. This has been good. 

• Walk alone twice a week (Saturday morning plus one afternoon)

Need a better plan next year. I have often failed to walk alone even once a week. The time needs to be specific and it must not clash with other priorities (Saturday morning is often my only chance to shop independently). 

• Do pelvic floor, tummy and back exercises twice daily (aim for room time, nap time, bed time)

Mercy's sleep patterns made this impossible. I now exercise during their nap times, if possible. 

• Stop procrastinating when one of us has a health problem - get onto it right away!

Hospitality and visiting

This goal area is very compatible with having the children and is one I want to continue next year. 

• Each month, have at least two sets of people over 

Doing well with this. 

• Over the course of the year, invite at least five sets of people who could be described as "strangers" (people we have never had more than a few minutes conversation with)

Again, we've done this :). What a blessing it has been to us as well! 

• Aim to visit someone weekly, and at least once a month make this someone who is needy/ill/elderly

 We have had some wonderful visits with Tony and Aunty Val, as well as others. Blessings all around! Continue with this!

Reading

I want to read a lot more in order to grow in wisdom, knowledge and understanding, to be a good helper to my husband, to model good habits for my children, to create a home environment where learning is valued, and to develop discernment about which books would help others to grow. It is also good for me to set goals in this area as I need to sit down more.

Strategies:

• Devote 15 minutes a day to concentrate on reading. Work up to 30 minutes a day if possible.
• After lying down during Natey's nap, if there is any time left, read before going onto the computer or doing craft projects.  

This has been a wonderful goal that has worked in well with the children's schedules. My strategy changed as the year went on, as I created a quiet reading time for Nate and we did our reading together! Usually just 15 minutes, but often more. I have read most of the books on my 2011 Book List, which is wonderful, and I've been hugely encouraged and challenged along the way. Praise God :)! 

Hopes/Ideas for next year

Make a "to everything there is a season" cross stitch

* Italics indicate November 2011 evaluation. 

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